How do you make yourself heard when no one else around you wants to listen? How do you stand up for what is right when no one wants to believe the truth? This was the plight of one nurse in a Queensland hospital.

Toni Hoffman was the nurse unit manager of the Intensive Care Unit at Bundaberg Base Hospital. She and other nursing staff had gone to their superiors to report the unsafe practises of Dr Jayant M Patel. But their concerns were dismissed. Their complaints were instead described as mere personality clashes.

Dr Patel became a nationwide news item in Australia during March and April 2005 being given the title "Dr Death'. Sick to Death details the constant struggle of staff to report malpractice in a small hospital.

This book is an incredible read. I was not expecting it to hold my attention, but instead, I found I could not put it down. The author Hedley Thomas has taken on the mammoth challenge of summarising the accounts leading up to, during, and following the inquiry into Dr Patel. The book brings together all the people who had a part to play in exposing Dr Patel and who have been affected by his mistreatment.

I would not recommend it for the faint-hearted as it gives detailed accounts of surgical procedures that have gone wrong. After I had reached one third of the way through the book I was feeling exhausted. I wanted to turn to the back to find out how it all ended.

Who will stand up and be the champion for the patients? This is a question I was continually asking myself. The book is filled with as much tension as any dramatic fiction. Tragically this account is based on actual events that involve the suffering of real people.

Just as some of those working alongside Patel were frustrated at his incompetencies, the reader is taken on a journey of raised expectations hoping that justice will be done, only to find time and again their hopes would be dashed. Those who held responsible positions in the public health system would continually fail to listen to warnings that Dr Patel was not to be trusted with a scalpel.

Out of desperation Toni decided to report what she knew to her local parliamentarian claiming whistleblower status. This provided her anonymity and protection from the threat of losing her job.

Dr Patel still has not been brought to justice for his incompetencies in Australia. A warrant for his arrest was issued in November 2006, however, the Brisbane Courier Mail reported in February this year that his arrest has been delayed due to outstanding paperwork.

It is difficult to sum up this book from a Christian perspective as it touches on many moral and ethical issues. Although there is a strong theme from the author of wanting to right wrongs.

Everyone who reads this book will feel an affiliation with a different person in the story. Humans are naturally quick to judge. We want to find fault and blame. We want justice. And yet as Christians we know that none of us is without sin. We know we sin as we do wrong but we also sin when we fail to do what is right. This book highlights the latter.

For Christians there are many opportunities where the hand of love, support and forgiveness needs to be extended. The author brings to light the fact that the patients are not the only people who suffered. The hospital's administrative, medical and nursing staff along with those in public office have also been affected by the intense pressure the investigation brought upon them. All of these people have experienced great emotional stress and all need God's grace for healing to take place.

The story has not yet reached its final conclusion, however, the release of this book will ensure this issue doesn't evaporate from the public's awareness.